Marcona Almond and Mint Pesto

We’ve had a couple of really, really wonderful sun-filled days; I think if I don’t document them somehow, it’ll feel like they never happened when I’m back to trudging through puddles in my rain boots a week from now.

I’m talking tank-tops and flip-flop weather; it is as if we skipped spring and headed straight for summer. I even stopped taking my Vitamin D pills for fear I’d overdose.

Unfortunately, my week was inundated with mostly ‘stuff’ that didn’t include spending my free time outdoors – from the mounting pile of laundry to filing tax adjustments with the CRA and a million other tedious little tasks in between.

Thankfully I had pesto so dinners weren’t too much of a chore; I love pesto for this, I can quickly toss a spoonful with pasta, potatoes, couscous, quinoa… whatever, and hey presto, dinner is ready!

Whenever I’m making pesto, I make sure to double the recipe and freeze some for later, and boy, does it ever come in handy.

It took me a while to come around to making this marcona almond and mint pesto; I’ve become quite enamoured with these almonds in recent years, I went from not knowing they existed to wanting to put them in everything.

I get like that with certain foods sometimes, I discovered green raisins at the nut store last week and I’m having a moment with it also, I want to make soda bread with them badly.

I already love almonds in pesto, they impart a nutty savoury taste and make the sauce really shine.

Marcona almonds are a special kind of almonds, delicate and sweeter, they have a more buttery flavour than regular almonds. It’s my favourite nut to snack on at the moment.

Mint and marcona almonds make a wonderful pairing in this pesto, the buttery sweet flavours of the almonds compliments the mint’s refreshing and bright essences, and a nice fruity extra-virgin olive oil rounds out the pesto beautifully.

While the food processor is running, gradually add the olive oil through the feed tube, process until it’s well combined with the ingredients – You can make the pesto as coarse or as smooth as you want

Check for salt and pepper and add more if desired

Use immediately, or store in a jar or airtight container covered in a thin layer of olive oil

Oooh pestos are my life! Don’t just be dreaming it… make it! And lucky you, you have a mint plant!

Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry

Excuse me for a moment whilst I just take a moment to fall in love with this pesto. I think I told you that I knew my OH was the one when he first made me his pesto. I am sooooo gonna have to try this.

http://elsbro.com/blog Elsa

Yes, I remember that! you should share his pesto recipe, I’ll have to pass it on to my brothers

http://circahappy.com/ Pang

This is great, Elsa I love your photos & recipe.
I also recently know about this almond, too, and it is additive.

http://elsbro.com/blog Elsa

Thanks Pang! Aren’t marcona almonds the best? Have you tried using them in recipes? I’d love to see what you come up with using them